Air-brake connection.



S. A. ROUSSEAU.

AIR BRAKE CONNECTION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26.1917.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

5 IIlII/E/I/TOR I f c5. /7. #0066590,

ATTORNEYS the coupling be1n a on SIDNEY au'snsl'rru EOU"SSEAU,"QF IJEWITT, sane-uses.

AIR-BRAKE GONNECTIUN.

nearest.

7 '0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SIDNEY A. RoussnAn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of De Witt, in the county of Arkansas and State of Arkansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Air-Brake Connections, of which the following is a specification. 7

My invention is an improvement in air brake connections, and has for its object to provide mechanism of the. character specified, adapted for coupling the train pipe sections of an air brake system without requiring the brakeman to go between the cars, g automatically brought about by the coupling of the cars, and wherein the act of coupling connects the sections of the train pipe.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side view showing the improved coupler in uncoupled position;

Fig. 2is a similar view showing the coupler in coupled position;

Fig. 3 is a partial side view of a coupling section, with parts in section;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows adjacent the line;

Fig. 5 is a partial side view showing a modified construction of valve operating mechanism Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified construction of connection between the train pipe and the coupling head.

The present embodiment of the invention is shown in connection with'cars 1 and 2, each of which has the usual automatic coupling head 3 for coupling the cars.

The train pipe sections 4 of the cars 1 and 2 are connected by means of flexible hose 5 with cylindrical casings 6, which are mounted to slide in brackets 7 supported below the car. Each of these casings 6 has at its outer end a head 6*, and these heads are adapted to abut, as shown in Fig. 2, to connect the casings. It will be noticed that each casing at the head is reamed or counterbored, as indicated at 8, and a gasket or packing ring 9 of rubber or the like is held in each counterbore, each counterbore having its wall undercut, as shown in Fig. 8, to receive a marginal flange or rib on the gasket to hold the gasket inplace.

Each casing has threaded thereon a sto collar 10 intermediate its ends, and a coil spring 11 encircles each casing between the specification 0f Itetters'it-atcnt. Patgnterll Apr,3 was, Applicationfiled'fl'une 536, 1917. serial No. 176,988. i

stop collar and the inner end of the sup porting bracket 7, the springs normally acting toforce the casings away from the car and toward the adjacent car.

The passage of the fluid under pressure through each casing is controlledby a valve 12, and in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, this-valve has a handle 13 extending radially therefrom, and be tween a pair of pins 1e on the bracket 7. The arrangentient is such that when the easing is pushed outwardly under the influence of the spring, that is, when the cars are not coupled as shown in Fig. 1, the valve will be turned through the engagement of the bandle with the pins into closed position, closing the bore of the casing and shutting oil' the fluid under pressure. However, when the cars are moved together with the heads 6 abutting and the said heads are forced inwardly asshown in Fig. 2, the pins will cause the arm or handle to move the valve in the opposite direction, to open the valve, to permit the fluid under pressure to pass between the pipe sections. Thus the act of coupling the cars automatically couples the train pipe sections, and opens the valve so that the said sections are in communication with each other.

The gaskets 9, together with the springs 11 which act at all times to force and hold the gaskets together, prevent escape of the air at the joint.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the casing 15, which corresponds in all respects to the casings 6, is mounted to slide in-a bracket 16 corresponding to the bracket 7 Instead of the arm or handle 13 connected with the valve, however, a pinion 17 is secured to the valve 18, and this pinion meshes with a rack bar 19 on the bracket. It will be obvious that when the casing is pushed outwardly under the influence of the spring the valve will be closed, while when the casing is pushed inwardly by the other coupling section the valve will be opened.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified construction of connection between the train pipe and the coupling head, wherein the flexible hose is omitted. In this construction it will be noticed that a sectional connection is provided, consisting of an outer section 20 and an inner section 21 mounted to slide in the outer section. In fact, the pipe is a telescoping pipe, and a gasket 22 is arranged between the sections for forming a seal,

ing and having a gasket for engagin the train pipe sections, comgasket of theother head to seal the jo1nt, a bracket adapted for connectionwith the car p in which the casing is mountedto slide, each topics of this patent may be obtained tor casing being adapted for connection With the train pipe of the car at its inner end, a .stop :collar'adjustably mounted on each cashaving at one enda head ing, a spring between the collar and the bracketand normally forcing the casing away from the car, a valve controlling the flow of pressure through the casing, and means controlled by the movement of the casing under the influence of the spring and under the pressure of the other coupling section for controlling the valve to close and open the casing.

SIDNEY AUGUSTIN ROUSSEAU.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. 0. 

